Gone to the Dogs

Hi there. I haven’t been so good posting lately. Partly it’s because I have other things keeping me busy.

Last Saturday, November 3, I took in a foster puppy. With three dogs of our own, Hubby doesn’t like it when I agree to foster. So I usually don’t unless it’s a puppy. And that’s only because I know puppies tend to get adopted quickly.It’s not because they are less work. In fact, puppies are more work. But it’s a labor of love. Besides, getting a puppy out of the shelter frees up space for other dogs.

It all happened pretty quickly. Word went out on November 1 that there were two pups in a shelter in Indiana, Pennsylvania. One volunteer, Linda, who lives in or near Indiana, retrieved the dogs from the shelter. She then drove a couple of hours to State College, PA to drop one of the pups with a volunteer there. Then she drove a couple of more hours to Breezewood, PA, which is where I agreed to meet her.

Luckily, Linda’s husband was driving, because both pups were vomiting and had diarrhea the entire way. She said she had to stop six times to clean them up. Can you imagine? She kept apologizing to me that Lizzie was rather stinky when I got her. But honestly, considering all that she went through, Lizzie could have looked at smelled MUCH worse. Linda did a fabulous job.

Temps were in the 40s or low 50s, I think, and it was breezy, but otherwise a pretty day for a drive.

I couldn’t resist snapping a few pics with the point-and-shoot as I drove. Doesn’t that sky look cool?

It was actually quite gray in Breezewood. And cold. But I didn’t have to wait long.

For those of you who don’t know, Breezewood is located at the intersection of I-70 and the PA Turnpike in Western Pennsylvania. I’m not sure if it’s an actual town, or just a collection of gas stations, motels, and restaurants.

Good thing I didn’t wear my Ravens shirt, since we met so close to Steelers headquarters. Oh, wait. I don’t have a Ravens shirt.

Speaking of the Steelers… check out this t-shirt I saw in Ocean City a couple of weeks ago.

Back to the puppy pick-up…

I thought I was getting an 8-week-old Brittany. Turns out, I got a 10-11 week old Brittany/Australian Shepherd mix. Which is fine from a breed perspective. I’m no pure-bred snob. But from a size perspective, she was far bigger than I anticipated.

The laundry basket I rigged up for the transport, so I didn’t have to buy a crate, lasted for about 60 seconds.

I had to keep my hand on her collar for about 10 minutes to convince her to stay in the basket. She actually stayed there quite well, and slept most of the way home.

Knowing I’d need a crate for confinement, we stopped at Petsmart to buy one on the way home. It was a great place for a potty stop for me. Plenty of people available to keep an eye on Lizzie for me.

Here’s another interesting sky photo taken while driving.

In this next picture, you can see how big she is compared to my adult dogs.

I’m not sure how long Lizzie will be here. I would think a few weeks at the most. It’s fun having a puppy around. But it really is a lot of work. Like a human baby, she requires constant attention. Actually, it’s more like dealing with a toddler. She chews on everything. And is constantly picking up stuff she shouldn’t (pebbles, sticks, leaves, mulch, etc.).

All in all, she is a very well-behaved puppy. She complains when I put her in the crate. And she doesn’t like being left alone. But she doesn’t holler for too long.

So that’s what I have been up to.

Maybe I’ll get motivated to start posting more regularly soon.